Are we going to leave the EU?

This is the big question: are we going to leave the EU? Sorry to say this but the answer is: no, not while Theresa May is PM.

This conclusion is inevitable if one studies Mrs May’s actions since she was appointed. Look at what she has done, not at what she says:

CABINET APPOINTMENTS:

Out of 23 Cabinet positions there are only seven who believe in Brexit. Even Andrea Leadsom has been moved into a post outside the Cabinet. Surely May should have appointed 50% proven and declared leavers.

ARTICLE 50 LETTER:

Mrs May was so anxious to stress the importance of parallel Trade discussions that it was requested at least eight times. These are extracts illustrating it:

“We therefore believe it is necessary to agree the terms of our future partnership alongside those of our withdrawal from the European Union.”

“The Government wants to approach our discussions ……giving …. businesses in the United Kingdom …. as much certainty as possible, as early as possible.”

“To achieve this, we believe it is necessary to agree the terms of our future partnership alongside those of our withdrawal from the EU.”

She should have stated her requirements once so the position would be clear and the EU would know immediately what it was up against. If the UK had chosen to walk away it would immediately have revealed the level, or lack, of confidence within the EU and may well have resulted in EU retreat allowing the UK to then take control of proceedings. However, Mrs May chose to reveal her utter weakness and absence of resolve and gave in to the EU demands while placing no conditions on the EU. This left the UK at a distinct disadvantage and served to illustrate the incompetence or duplicity of Mrs May.

ONE SUCCESS:

It appears that David Davis was carrying out his task in a manner that would be expected. On the subject of the money, it emerged in media reports that he had asked the EU, quite reasonably, to state what payments the UK should make, the purpose, legal basis and any justification. On receiving no meaningful response it is reported one member of the UK team, a lawyer, gave a presentation that showed once it had left in March 2019 there was no reason for the UK to make any further payments. The EU then appeared to be throwing a tantrum due to the UK side’s unwillingness to submit to their unfounded financial demands.

THAT SPEECH IN FLORENCE:

Her miserable Florence speech and lack of basic management ability illustrate clearly that Mrs May is either utterly incompetent or is trying to deceive and betray the British people. What she should have done was to fully support her negotiating team, make the UK position clear and demand that the EU reconsider. Rather than reaffirm the UK’s strength and confidence she went to great length to make concessions in an embarrassingly submissive way to convert one little moment of success into abysmal failure. One could say she stabbed David Davis and his team in the back.

May offered to continue payments up to the end of the current budgetary period, and to repeat her request for a “transition” period of “about” two years on “current terms”. Is she secretly trying to extend UK commitment, not membership, further and possibly indefinitely?

NEGOTIATING STANCE:

There was no need for the UK to make concessions at this stage. Any sensible business person would, when making such massive and generous offers, expect and ask for something in return, a quid pro quo. The only demands or requests she made of the EU were to ask for ” Co-operation”, “partnership” and “creativity”. How pathetic can it get?

She could have said something along the lines of:

“The UK will offer to make contributions to the EU until the end of the current budgetary period provided:

the EU commence discussions immediately about the future trade arrangements;

The UK will be free to negotiate and conclude its own trade agreements with other countries during the implementation period;

The UK will not be obliged to make contribution payments during the implementation period.”

May has been heard pleading with the EU to allow the talks to “accelerate”. It seems all she can do is plead, beg, implore and entreat. She doesn’t have a clue how to negotiate, she doesn’t recognise her own advantage when it is put on a plate in front of her. All this “incompetence” may be deliberate, a deception in plain sight in order to deceive the British people.

This is not a negotiation; it is a slow and continuous capitulation!

REMAINER OR LEAVER?

Her body language betrays the truth: she is an unreformed remainer. It is now reported that she asked the EU at dinner in Brussels for a deal that she could “sell” to the British public, as reported by the BBC. It is astonishing that she can be so blatant in her contempt for her own electorate and so blasé about not working to get “the best deal for Britain”. This surely must be the final confirmation that Theresa May is not working in the interests of the UK and is either incompetent or duplicitous.

UKIP:

It is important that the UK wakes up to what May is doing. This is an inviting opportunity for our new leader and the whole leadership team to act with the utmost urgency. UKIP must do whatever it takes to open the eyes of the British public to Theresa May’s incompetence or duplicity.

The truth must be revealed and UKIP must demand that May be removed and replaced with a Proven Brexiteer with the ability and determination to take over and do the job fully and properly. This is our golden opportunity to regain credibility and presence in the public consciousness, and perhaps replenish ourselves and grow again into an established and respected Political Force.

Henry Bolton announces his new team

Henry Bolton has announced his team to take UKIP forward. Included in his new leadership group is Margot Parker MEP, as Deputy leader and Jim Carver and Mike Hookem MEPs as assistant Deputies.

He said “I am pleased to announce appointments to my Cabinet.

“UKIP has a moral obligation to hold the government to account for taking us out of the European Union. Clear and decisive leadership is crucial and we shall deliver it. Together, my team and I will now commence the urgent work of projecting our party firmly and decisively into British politics with the purpose of securing our nation’s interests through Brexit and beyond.”

Margot Parker MEP the new Deputy leader said,
“I was both delighted and honoured to be asked by Henry to become the party’s deputy leader. It is time for everyone in UKIP to pull together and drive the party forward over the next few years. I will continue my work as an MEP to ensure a clean Brexit and to fight for what is best for the country. I will also be working closely with our new leader and his team over the next 18 months or so – a crucial period which will help shape the future of the UK.”

Jim Carver MEP said,
“I am delighted to accept the post of assistant deputy leader of my party, working alongside Henry, Margot and Mike in preparing UKIP for the challenges ahead.
We will strive to ensure the party continues to have Brexit at its heart and also broad and appealing domestic policies that the branches and membership can focus on in readiness for next year’s local elections.”

Mike Hookem MEP commented,
“I believe Henry Bolton has the necessary skills as UKIP leader to take this party forward and I am pleased and honoured that he has chosen me to be part of his management team. As the Conservative’s backslide and Labour continue to dither on Brexit, the role of UKIP in British politics will continue to grow, and I look forward to playing a full part in taking the party forward.”

Henry Bolton

Henry Bolton was elected leader of UKIP on Friday September 29th, 2017. He was elected with 29.9% of the vote receiving 3,874 total votes. Henry was a former Police Officer, Army Officer and UN Governor. He was also awarded an OBE in 2013 for services to International Security and Stabilisation. He is an internationally recognised leader in border management, national security and foreign affairs and the UKIP candidate for the Police and Crime Commissioner in Kent during the 2016 elections.

As your leader Henry’s main priorities are:

Professionalise its structures; better select, train and prepare its candidates and staff; improve its planning; improve its financial management; improve internal communication and boost its membership.

Involve all levels of the party in developing policy.

Not be constrained by a left, centre, right agenda. The party must pursue the most effective policies, regardless of where those policies lie on the traditional left-right, spectrum.

Establish unity of purpose and vision in the world beyond Brexit.

Avoid discrimination and extremism.

Continue to have the courage to debate difficult issues that others fear to address, but do so constructively, working with communities and businesses to define solutions for their problems.

For UKIP, a general election is about a lot more than our EU membership. It is about all the elements that constitutes UKIP’s comprehensive manifesto.

Not only that but we have a credible, competent, passionate approved candidate capable of representing the people of Wokingham very well.

When calling this general election, Theresa May said ‘it is all about Brexit’.

We have no option but to believe what she says, as successful Brexit negotiations are essential to delivering what we have been passionate about since our formation, the UK fully rescinding its EU membership.

We do not accept that the outcome of this general election is assured and believe that a strong Brexit voice is important in Westminster and within the Conservative party.

It is UKIP’s stated position that it will not stand candidates in areas where a proven Brexiteer MP seeks to regain their seat AND their majority is marginal.

Wokingham does not fall into this category.

However, for the sake of Brexit alone, UKIP Wokingham have decided that we will field no UKIP candidate in this general election in the Wokingham constituency.

and will continue to challenge the government of the day on these and other many other policy matters.

UKIP Wokingham will continue to fight the local Conservative council, its damaging and naïve attempts to be business-like, and its immoral stranglehold on the Borough (and its companies) using the cabinet system. Therefore, we will concentrate our efforts on preparing for the Borough Council elections in 2018 and continue to support local people and communities.

UKIP accuses the Chancellor of attacking enterprise and betraying the self-employed

“The Conservatives have today lost any claim they may have had to represent either White Van Man or the many women who create businesses as a route to combining a continuing economic contribution with family life.

“In this Budget, Philip Hammond has launched an unnecessary and foolish attack on enterprise. To claim to be making life better for the employed by making life worse for the self-employed is the worst kind of levelling down. It is an approach more befitting of big state socialism than of a party that claims to understand wealth creation.

“Self-employed people create their own jobs. They have no paid holidays, sickness benefits or company pension schemes and in fact no guaranteed income at all.

“They show guts and determination. And like the rest of the electorate they were promised that the Tories would not be whacking up national insurance rates in this parliament. In their case it is going to be a promise broken.”

Mr Reckless added: “The growth and borrowing projections announced in today’s Budget show that the Brexit vote of last June has had no negative impact on the economy and that the dire forecasts of George Osborne were merely a cynical political scare tactic.

“Philip Hammond is right to talk up the prospects of the British economy in the years ahead, rather than irresponsibly talking them down as his predecessor did in the run-up to the referendum.

“UKIP has always argued that the British economy will flourish outside the EU – as we regain the power to agree our own free trade deals and remove ourselves from future waves of Brussels red tape.

“Our relatively buoyant economy is an early sign that the British people were right to disbelieve the merchants of doom.

“That the Chancellor now has some financial wiggle room due to better than expected tax receipts and lower unemployment is reassuring in advance of the Government’s negotiations to exit the EU.

“Mr Hammond is right not to spend this initial Brexit bonus. Our national debt is alarmingly large and while the deficit is lower than previously expected that debt is still growing.

“In fact the Government should be making significant savings from bloated spending areas. UKIP for example would look to cut foreign aid spending by £10 billion a year, scrap the wasteful HS2 project and rebalance the Barnett Formula so resources reflect real needs.

“With some of those savings we could afford to remove VAT from domestic energy, hot takeaway food and female sanitary products as soon as Britain is out of the EU. We could also avoid clobbering the self-employed with extra National Insurance as the Chancellor does today. We need to help hard-pressed people with the cost of living, not clobber the self-employed.”

UKIP Defence Spokesman and MEP, Bill Etheridge, made a visit to Wokingham on Friday to discuss Defence with UKIP members from across the area.

The team of spokesmen appointed by UKIP Leader Paul Nuttall are taking the opportunity to understand the views and harvest the knowledge in certain subjects which is held within the UKIP membership.

The event was held at the Holiday Inn, Reading and many of those taking part were ex-servicemen and women from all three military forces with vast experience from a range of roles in many different theatres of action.

Bill was introduced by Wokingham UKIP Chairman Phil Ray who reminded us all of the military connections around the local community from the Atomic Weapons Establishment in Aldermaston, to the Military Academy at Sandhurst, to the Household Cavalry and Coldstream Guards at Windsor and the various Battalions at Aldershot.

Productive and informative discussions took place around the state of the UK’s military; Trident missile defence; battlefield resources; new Naval ships and aircraft; and military veterans amongst many others.

Bill assured those present that all their input was valuable and encouraged them to continue to communicate their views and knowledge to ensure that UKIP Defence policy is appropriate, representative and pertinent.

A valuable evening and hopefully the first of many on different subjects.

As part of holding the Government’s feet to the fire over Brexit, UKIP Wokingham took part in a day of action in Theresa May’s own back yard.

The UK fishing industry were treated with disdain by Edward Heath when he handed over our fishing waters to the EU when we joined in the 1970’s. This has decimated our industry and many former fishing ports have little more than memories of an industry which saw us self sufficient and net exporters of fish.

Phil Ray, Chairman of Wokingham UKIP, said “Here is our opportunity to try and put right the damage done to our fishing communities. We are putting the case to Theresa May and her Brexit team that repatriation of our fishing waters should be a priority in their Brexit negotiations. It seems the people of Maidenhead agree as they have been really supportive today.”

Commenting on the release of official figures stating that the three month growth rate since the EU Referendum has been plus 0.5% rather than the Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney’s pre-Referendum estimate of 0.2%, Christopher Mills, the UKIP Business Spokesman said,

“The bad news for those who expected an economic apocalypse when we voted to regain our independence and freedom has suffered another blow. The prophets of doom are now looking like a tired old heavyweight, demanding just one more round in the ring before retirement, appalling the public, embarrassing their friends and destroying their reputations. The UK is the one of the world’s most competitive economies; it is open for business and has the tools and the desire amongst its men and women to go from strength to strength in the future”.

UKIP’s Economy Spokesman Mark Reckless AM added, “I welcome today’s growth figures following our vote for Brexit and I look forward to the day when ‘experts’ realise this is not despite Brexit but because of Brexit.”